LAUSR

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Women are numerically under-represented in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. This study aims to characterize the gender distribution of first and senior authors and editorial board members across high impact factor journals in gastroenterology and hepatology. METHODS Publications from January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 were reviewed from 29 journals. Gender of editorial board leadership, members, first, and senior authors were identified using publicly available data. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated to assess for a relationship among editorial board, first author, and senior author gender and impact factor. RESULTS Of 29 journals, (median impact factor 5.55) with 357 journal issues and 8036 articles, there were 3 out of 39 female chief editors (7.7%), 601 out of 3455 female editorial board members (17.4%), 2547 out of 8036 female first authors (31.7%), and 1390 out of 7335 senior authors (19%). No statistically significant correlations existed between impact factor or chief editor gender with gender distribution of editorial boards, first, or senior authors. Positive correlations existed between male-dominated editorial boards and male first (+0.52, p=0.005) and senior authorship (+0.56, p=0.002), whereas negative correlations occurred between male-dominated editorial boards and female first (-0.51, p=0.006) and senior authorship (-0.56, p=0.002). Positive correlations also existed between publication of first and senior authors of the same gender (+0.57, male p=0.001; +0.58, female p=0.001). CONCLUSION Although gender distribution of female first authorship approaches current distributions in the field of gastroenterology and hepatology, editor-in-chief positions, editorial board membership, and senior authorship continue to be primarily male. Future endeavors to improve proportionate gender representation include improved journal leadership selection transparency, targeted diversity statements, and enhanced mentorship.